ELSEVIER Fisheries Research 26 ( 1996) I- 15 Sampling larval fishes with a nightlight lift-net in tropical inshore waters Jay R. Rooker”, George D. Dennis ‘, Denis Goulet * Department oj Marine Sciences, The Universiv cfPuerto Rico. Mayaguez, 00709-5000, Puerto Rico Accepted 1 June 1995 Abstract The applicability of a nightlight lift-net for sampling ichthyoplankton assemblages was evaluated in inshore habitats off southwestern Puerto Rico. The effects of lunar periodicity, habitat, light duration, and gear type (nightlight vs. plankton tow) were investigated. Overall, 36 piscine taxa were collected with the nightlight lift-net from inshore habitats (i.e. coral reef, mangroves, seagrass bed, sand flat). Larval fishes (80.6%)) particularly clupeids (Jenkinsiu spp. and Harengula spp.), were the predominant developmental stage collected. Juvenile and adult fishes accounted for 14.7% and 4.7% of the catch, respectively. Nightlight collections showed marked patterns in larval fish abundance during different lunar phases with peak catchability occurring during the new moon phase. New moon samples accounted for 65.7% of all larvae collected during the complete lunar cycle. Significant lunar effects were observed in coral reef, seagrass bed, and sand flat habitats. No lunar related trends were observed in mangrove cay or nearshore mangrove habitats. Spatial patterns in nightlight catches were present with many taxa showing significant differences in abundance among habitats sampled. During lunar periodicity trials, catches were highest in the seagrass bed and coral reef habitats. Taxonomic diversity was greatest in seagrass bed and coral reef habitats with 16 and I 1 taxa, respectively. Low abundance and taxonomic diversity characterized mangrove cay and nearshore mangrove habitats; however, increases in taxonomic diversity were observed during a fall survey of nearshore mangrove habitats. Light duration experiments indicated that larval abundance increased with increasing sam- pling duration and maximum catch per unit time was obtained at 10 min. Longer and shorter durations resulted in lower catch per unit effort and greater coefficients of variation. Trends in species compo- sition and development stage were detected among nightlight lift-net and plankton net-tow methods. K~~~~r~f.s: Larval fishes; Recruitment; Light traps; Coral reefs; Mangroves; Seagrass beds; Lunar oeriodicity * Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Marine Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX 783731267, USA. Fax: + I-512-7496749; e-mail: rooker utmsi.zo.utexas.edu ’ Present address: Caribbean Marine Research Center, 805 E. 46th Place, Vero Beach, FL 32963, USA. ’ Present address: Marine Studies Program, University of the South Pacific, PO Box I 168, Suva, Fiji. 0165.7836/96/$15.00 0 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .%SD/O165-7836(95)00407-6 2 J.R. Rooker et al. /Fisheries Research 26 (1996) I-15 1. Introduction Processes occurring during the early life history of tropical marine fishes are important determinants of size and composition of adult assemblages (Doherty, 1981; Sale, 1988; Doherty and Williams, 1988). Local population size may be strongly influenced or possibly determined by pelagic stage mortality (Robertson, 1988; Doherty and Williams, 1988). In addition, physical processes (i.e. currents) affect larval fish dispersion which can have significant demographic consequences for many species (Miller, 1974; Bakun, 1986; Rich- ards and Lindeman, 1987; Black et al., 1990). Furthermore, behavioral interactions (i.e. competition and predation) among residents and newly recruited larvae may modify patterns present in adult reef fish assemblages (Shulman et al., 1983; Doherty and Sale, 1985; Jones, 1990; Hixon, 1991). For these reasons, the early life history of tropical marine fishes has received widespread attention over the past decade, particularly aspects of larval dispersal and recruitment. Because of their potential as nursery sites for larval fishes, tropical inshore habitats such as fringing reefs, mangroves, and sea grass beds, are of particular interest to fisheries ecologists. However, complex bathymetry and spatial heterogeneity present in these habitats leads to inherent sampling problems and thus limits the use of conventional plankton sampling methods (e.g. plankton net tows). As a result, alternative collection methods have been developed to sample larval fishes in such habitats, including diver-towed nets (Emery, 1968; Smith et al., 1987), purse-seines (Murphy and Clutter, 1972; Kingsford and Choat, 1985; Kingsford et al., 1991), pumps (Yocum et al., 1978; Brander and Thompson, 1989) and light aggregation-devices (Doherty, 1987; Brogan, 1994). A method receiving considerable attention in recent years is the use of light at night (nightlighting) to aggregate larval fishes for capture. Nightlight collection can be accom- plished using pumps (Bullis and Roithmayr, 1971), nets (Sale et al., 1976; Smith et al., 1987; Dennis et al., 1991)) and traps (Doherty, 1987; Riley and Holt, 1993; Brogan, 1994). Although devices differ in design, all are based on the premise that certain fish larvae are photopositive and nightlighting serves to concentrate them for collection. Nightlighting has several advantages over conventional methods for sampling in nearshore habitats. Gear can be placed in shallow water microhabitats ( < 1 m) with non-uniform bottom topography (i.e. patch reefs) and the method is less destructive than conventional plankton net tows, particularly in highly sensitive areas (i.e. coral reefs). Nightlighting can also collect larvae which are in close association with the seabed and normally inaccessible by alternative methods. In addition, nightlighting is an effective means of collecting larger larvae that can avoid towed nets (Doherty, 1987; Leis, 1991). The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of a simple, inexpensive (about $120 US) nightlight lift-net technique for sampling larval fishes in inshore habitats. An improved understanding of methodological considerations, not addressed in earlier night- light research by Dennis et al. ( 1991), was the primary aim of this study. The effectiveness of this method on catch composition and size was evaluated under a variety of physical and environmental conditions including lunar periodicity, habitat (e.g. coral reef, mangroves, sand flat, and seagrass bed), and light duration. Also, the nightlight lift-net technique was compared with conventional plankton net tows. Findings from this study will enhance our J.R. Rooker et al. /Fisheries Research 26 (1996) l-15 Fig. I Schematic representation of the nightlight lift-net. present understanding of nightlight sampling performance and should prove valuable to researchers attempting to design larval fish sampling protocols for tropical inshore habitats. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Nightlight lift-net design The nightlight lift-net consisted of a floating light platform constructed of a circular piece of Styrofoam. 65 cm diameter (Fig. 1). At the center, a 12 V headlight bulb was positioned such that the convex surface of the bulb was protruding beyond the surface of the Styrofoam platform. ‘The bulb was fixed into position with clear silicon sealant and housed within a plastic shield to protect the contacts from sea water. The bulb was powered by a 12 V marine battery on board a 6 m outboard motorboat. Four holes were bored into the Styrofoam platform and each hole was lined by an 8.0 cm length of I .5 cm diameter PVC tubing. Lines were placed through the guide holes and attached to a steel ring (50 cm diameter) of an I65 cm long plankton net with a 500 pm mesh size. The cod end contained a 1 1 glass jat that served as the sample container. J.R. Rooker et al. /Fisheries Research 26 (1996) I-IS Enrique 67’05 67’03’ Fig. 2. Location of the study area in southwestern Puerto Rico illustrating the sampling sites investigated ( Ahogado: CR, coral reef; SA, sand; SG, seagrass bed; MC, mangrove cay. Nearshore mangroves (NM): 14, mangrove prop-roots; 5, mangrove lagoon). 2.2. Study area Ichthyoplankton was sampled from a variety of inshore habitats off southwestern Puerto Rico. Coral reef, mangrove cay, sand bottom, and seagrass bed habitats were sampled near a patch reef (Ahogado) situated 1 .O km southwest of the University of Puerto Rico Marine Laboratory (UPRML) (Fig. 2). The coral reef station was located on the leeward edge of Ahogado, a semi-emergent patch reef dominated by stands of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) . Water depth was approximately 1 .O m and the adjacent bottom was covered with turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum). The seagrass bed station was located 50 m north of Ahogado and composed primarily of Thalassia testudinum. Water depth averaged 1.5 m. Approximately 150 m north of Ahogado was the sandy bottom site, with sediments com- posed mainly of carbonate sand of reef origin at a depth of 1.7 m. The mangrove cay prop- root station was situated on the leeward side of an inshore mangrove cay 0.5 km north of Ahogado. Five additional nearshore mangrove stations were also sampled in this study. These stations consisted of four mangrove prop-root sites and one mangrove lagoon site located in the channel separating mangrove island stations from shoreline mangrove stations. Nearshore mangrove sites were approximately 3.5 km west of UPRML. Mangrove stations were dominated by red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) and depth ranged from 1.2 to 1.7 m. Bottom sediments at mangrove